Archdiocese to investigate pastor

P-I STAFF

Published 10:00 pm, Sunday, July 29, 2007

MERCER ISLAND -- The pastor of St. Monica Catholic Church here has agreed to take a voluntary leave while the Archdiocese of Seattle investigates allegations of inappropriate conduct with a minor.

Archbishop Alex Brunett made the announcement over the weekend at Masses at the church. The Rev. Dennis Kemp has been a pastor at the church since 2002.

In a statement, the archdiocese said it had alerted law enforcement authorities but the King County Prosecutor's Office decided no charges would be filed at this time. "I deeply regret the need for this action," Brunett said in the statement. "If our investigation determines that these allegations are true, it will be disheartening for me and for all Catholic people in the Archdiocese of Seattle."

Once the investigation is finished, the findings will be made public, the archdiocese said.

Kemp, 60, was at St. Mark in Shoreline from 1994 to 2002 and at Our Lady Star of the Sea in Bremerton from 1976 to 1978. From 1979 to 1994, he was a teacher and campus minister at Kennedy High School.